Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Deed Of Gift topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayor breaks tie as Saltville council approves deed-of-gift for Town Shop building
Summary
After public concern and council debate about capital liabilities and taxpayer value, the Saltville Town Council approved gifting 343 & 345 Palmer Avenue (the Town Shop/Lifetime Wellness Center) to the Lifetime Wellness Center; the motion tied 3–3 and Mayor Cheri Fullen cast the deciding aye. Council later authorized signing the conveyance documents and opened a renovation fund account.
The Saltville Town Council voted on Dec. 9, 2025 to approve a Deed of Gift and Conveyance Agreement transferring town property at 343 & 345 Palmer Avenue — the Town Shop and the Lifetime Wellness Center — to the Wellness Center. Councilman David Buchanan moved to approve the agreement; the motion resulted in a 3–3 roll-call tie and Mayor Cheri Fullen cast the tie-breaking vote in the affirmative.
The conveyance had been the subject of a public hearing. John Carter asked whether the council or the Wellness Center initiated the agreement and whether the town was effectively gifting the building; Councilman Ryan Comer replied that “the agreement was expiring so they had to renegotiate” and affirmed that the town would be conveying the property. Resident Julie Loggins urged the council not to give away a multiuse town asset without return to taxpayers and noted unpaid rent and utilities in recent years, suggesting the town recoup lost revenue before agreeing to a gift.
Town Manager Cecile Rosenbaum told the council the discussions began in September, with legal counsel involved, and said the draft conveyance requires the Wellness Center to operate as a gym for five years. Council debate focused on the town’s capital liabilities at the building — Buchanan and Sauls noted seven HVAC units and recent roof work paid by SIDA and the Smyth Foundation — and whether a longer operational term (Comer favored 15–20 years) would better protect town interests.
After approving the deed, the council unanimously authorized signing the conveyance documents. In the same series of motions, the council approved creating a Town Shop Improvement & Renovation Fund with an account at Bank of Marion to track renovation monies.
The council’s approval concludes the formal negotiation step described by Rosenbaum; the conveyance includes a five-year use requirement for the property to remain a gym, per the draft agreement that was included in council packets. The council did not approve sale proceeds or monetary compensation to the town as part of the motion.
What happens next: the council authorized signing both documents that enact the deed and set up the dedicated renovation account; the records of the conveyance and the fund will be available at Town Hall once finalized.
